With the start of the 2016 ARCA Racing Series underway, Empire Racing Group is looking to once again come out on top of the speed charts during this week’s test at Daytona International Speedway. The race team, who topped the series’ test at Daytona in 2014 and 2015, has a strong lineup for this year’s event with drivers Sean Corr, Bret Holmes and Dylan Martin piloting their race cars.
“My team has worked hard all year on our speedway program to back up our speed runs last year,” said Mike “Grumpy” Cheek, crew chief and general manager of Empire Racing Group and owner of Grumpys Performance “I’m excited to get back to Daytona with our new stable of drivers. I am confident that with Sean Corr as their driver coach, they should have no problem getting to the top of the charts.”
Sean Corr, a 31-year-old Goshen, N.Y. native, knows what it’s like to be on top of the charts, as he was the fastest car in both of the team’s ARCA Daytona tests in years past. Corr began racing at age 15, and has a background filled with both dirt and asphalt competition. He successfully captured multiple dirt Northeast Pro Stock Championships before moving to the ARCA Racing Series.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming Daytona test,” said Corr. “It’s a great opportunity to make sure all of our cars are still competitive. It has been a quiet offseason, and the cars always have bugs from the offseason that we need to work on before the year starts. Especially since I’ll be racing in the Daytona race in February, it’s really important for us to recapture a feel for the car with any new rules or changes made, and to see how the track has changed in the past year.”
In addition to Corr, the Empire Racing Group will also have 18-year-old Bret Holmes participating in the Daytona test which takes place this Thursday and Friday. The Munford, Ala. native has been racing since he was 8-years-old, getting behind the wheel of everything from Go-Karts and dirt Late Models to Late Model Stock Cars. While Holmes has only recently made the move from dirt to asphalt racing in the past couple of years, he’s eager for the opportunity to log some laps at a much larger track.
“This test will be the first time I’m running an ARCA car and at a much larger track than I’m used to,” explained Holmes. “Last year, Empire Racing had the Top-3 times on the speed chart with one of those drivers being a rookie, so I’m really looking to match that result. But on a larger scale, I’m glad I’ll have this opportunity to get comfortable in the car – the more laps I can get under my belt, the better!”
Rounding out the Empire Racing Group at Daytona will be Dylan Martin, an 18-year-old driver from Lakeland, Fla. Martin began his career in Motocross until an injury led him to the automotive racing scene. He has since competed in Quarter Midgets, Pro Trucks and Super Late Models. Martin, who is set to race three ARCA races with Empire Racing Group this year, looks to use this test session as an opportunity to learn everything he can about the car.
“The biggest thing for me during this test will be learning everything I can from Grumpy and the team about the car,” stated Martin. “I’ve never raced at a track this big before, so listening to what Grumpy has to say and getting every little tenth I can get out the car will be important. The team is always on top of the speed chart at these tests.”
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